Not Neo
by Beth-Star
Summary: COMPLEATED! Set at the end of Reloaded where Neo meets Smith, or rather Smiths, except this time Smith has found a way to get revenge agaisnt Neo. , (See inside for better summary)
1. PLEASE READ! Authors Note

***NOT NEO***  
  
STORY INFORMATION  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
DISCLAIMER:- I own none of the Matrix characters or ideas, they belong to the Wachowski Brothers, so don't sue me!!!  
  
RATING:- PG-13, for occasional swearing and violence.  
  
COUPLING:- Neo/Trinity, but not major soppy-ness!  
  
SUMMARY:- Set at the end of Reloaded, where Neo, Morpheus and The Keymaker are going to meet the Architect, but meets Smith and his replicas. This time Trinity doesn't go in, and Smith has found away to make Neo into a replica. He goes about getting his revenge on Neo for killing him, by hurting him where it counts; the people he cares about. Can Neo stop Smith in time??  
  
Lots of character POV, action, tension (I have a thing for cliff-hangers!!) and angst, don't forget the angst!!  
  
DISTRIBUTION:- Yes, (If you want it!!) But I would like to know where it is going first please!!  
  
REVEIWS:- Yes please!! constructive criticism welcome, but things like, "I like your story" are also nice!! ; )  
  
EMAIL:- Madmiffy6@hotmail.com  
  
THANK YOU'S: Thanks to all of the people who have reviewed this story so far, I love you guys!! So to be brief, Thank you:--- Karina of darkness, Black blade, Amy, dsellle, parlour1, luna shadowsong, kattie, Shadow, Hanna, Ephrem paz, tinhamodic, chilled monkey, Emma, Amanda, Maniac, legolasgirl, jolie, dragon, Carol, aqua pheonix, lauren k.... .....and everyone else!! Sorry but if I wrote any more names I'd never finish the story!!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
HOPE YOU ENJOY THE STORY!!  
  
Love Beth 


	2. Inevitability

  
  
***NOT NEO***  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Office Building.  
  
  
  
Neo and Morpheus were fighting the swarms of Agent Smith in the otherwise empty and seemingly endless hallway. The Keymaker was behind them, looking rather worried. Morpheus' phone goes off.  
  
Morpheus dodges a punch from a Smith and flicks his phone open. "You need to get out of there quickly, the security wasn't shut down!" Said Link, panicked. Morpheus swore under his breath. If the security wasn't shut down the building was going to explode very soon, and as they didn't know where the nearest exit was, it wasn't good news  
  
"Neo!" Morpheus yelled as Neo turned to look at him in confusion. Suddenly sirens went off, the fighting paused for a second as the Agent Smiths looked up and smiled, this may give him the advantage. The Keymaker however, quickly ran to a nearby door, shoved a key in, and ran through.  
  
" Follow me." he commanded  
  
Morpheus ran through, although Neo stopped and punched a smug Agent Smith in the face before he followed him and locked the door.  
  
"What the hell is going on Morpheus?" Neo questioned, they had just been within reaching distance of the mainframe, what had happened?  
  
"Somehow the security for the building wasn't shut down, we need to find a phone quickly." Said Morpheus, attempting to follow the scurrying Keymaker.  
  
The Keymaker opened another door and led them through, in to a room with an old dial phone on a wooden coffee table in the centre of the room.  
  
Morpheus picked up the phone as it started to ring.  
  
Suddenly Neo stopped him "What about the Keymaker?" He said concerned  
  
They both turn to him, a little worried. The Keymaker was a program wasn't he? Programs couldn't exist in the real world, but they couldn't very well leave him here.  
  
The Keymaker just smiled, "It is alright." he said taking the phone and disappearing  
  
Morpheus and Neos eyes widened  
  
"How..?" Morpheus spluttered  
  
"Cool!" said Neo, with a grin, ignoring a look from Morpheus.  
  
  
  
On the Neb.  
  
  
  
The Keymaker materialised in the middle of the room.  
  
"Whoa!" Link yelled, practically falling off his chair in shock, how on earth had the little guy done that?  
  
  
  
Office Building  
  
  
  
"You first Morpheus." said Neo, handing him the phone  
  
Morpheus contemplated arguing, but thought better of it, picked up the phone and disappeared. Neo replaced it, but as he was about to lift it up again, a hand firmly stopped him.  
  
"Mister Anderson, leaving so soon?" a familiar voice drawled  
  
Neo grimaced. "Smith"  
  
Neo got ready to fight, but suddenly Agent Smith plunged his hands into him, causing him to wince.  
  
Neo stared at the black shimmering liquid slowly spreading icy tendrils across his body, he tried to block out the pain and focused, closing his eyes, sending the oily black liquid back towards Smith.  
  
"Why are you even trying? You know you can't make me a replica." Neo said.  
  
Agent Smith just smiled. "I guessed that I just needed a little extra help."  
  
Suddenly, many hands pushed into Neo's back, He turned to see hundreds of Agent Smiths swarming into the room, Neo looks vaguely surprised. He tried to push the black liquid away, but his eyes widen in fear and shock as he sees that this time it keeps spreading. How can Smith be doing this?  
  
  
  
On the Neb  
  
  
  
In his loading chair, Neo's body is shaking violently.  
  
Trinity is sat beside Neo and looks frightened "What's going on?" she demanded  
  
Link stared at the screen and saw green numbers rushing past at an amazing speed.  
  
"Oh crap, he's being swarmed by the Agent Smiths!"  
  
Trinity too Neo's hand  
  
"Come on Neo!" Trinity whispers. He was fine before, he will be fine now. He's the One he can handle himself. Trinity thinks, trying to convince herself that Neo will be ok.  
  
  
  
Office Building  
  
  
  
Neo is now nearly completely covered in the black liquid, and is franticly trying to fight off the replicas, as well as mentally push the black liquid back.  
  
"How can you..?" For the first time Neo actually sounds frightened, he has seen Smith turn another Agent into a replica by doing this, it couldn't happen to him now, he stopped it before.  
  
The original Agent Smith laughed "I told you before Mr Anderson, that it is inevitable"  
  
Neo realised that he couldn't stop the black liquid covering him. He was going to lose. He managed to whisper "I love you Trinity" before throwing back his head in a silent scream, and being totally engulfed in the black liquid.  
  
  
  
On the Neb  
  
  
  
Morpheus is staring worried; at the heart monitor  
  
suddenly he jumps up "He's going into arrest!"  
  
Trinity is still holding Neo's hand tightly, and is now close to tears.  
  
"Please, Neo, pull through this. You have to." She whispered softly, she doesn't know what she would do if she lost Neo now, she had always known there was a risk when he entered the Matrix, but she had always though she would be there with him, that she could at least try to *do* something to try and stop it.  
  
The line on the heart monitor goes flat.  
  
  
  
Office Building  
  
  
  
"I often wondered how it would feel to be 'The One'" says Agent Smith, with a hint of a smile.  
  
Opposite him, where Neo was stood, another Agent Smith replies, looking down at himself. He picks up the phone.  
  
"It feels...good."  
  
  
  



	3. Lost

  
  
  
  
On the Neb  
  
  
  
The crew stared at Neo in shock. Trinity stifled a sob.  
  
"He, can't just, just.. Not now!" Trinity threw her arms across Neo's still chest and started to shake him, she couldn't stand to lose him now. She remembered when he had been shot by Smith and how she had felt, thinking that she had lost the chance to ever tell him how she really felt about him, and now that she knew that he loved her too, she couldn't stand too see him die again, not when he wouldn't come back.  
  
"Please Neo, I love you"  
  
Suddenly the heart monitor started up again, Neo inhaled deeply, and blinked.  
  
Trinity looked up wide-eyes from his chest, and with no regard for her tough-girl reputation for once, gave a shout of "NEO!" she enveloped him in a hug.  
  
The whole of the crew looked relived, even Morpheus who prided himself on his composure.  
  
"For a second, I thought we had lost you." He said smiling down at Neo  
  
Neo grinned back up at him, smugly "Yeah, without The One, you guys are pretty much screwed" He returned Trinity's hug, still smiling some what oddly.  
  
  
  
The Source  
  
  
  
Neo blinked a few times and slowly opened his eyes; all he could see was black, unpenetratable darkness. He frowned, where was he? It certainly wasn't the real world, so he assumed it was part of the Matrix, it seemed similar to the loading program Morpheus had shown him when he was first unplugged, except that it was black instead of white.  
  
Neo stood up and stretched, how had he gotten here? One moment he was with Morpheus and the Keymaker, then something strange had happened. Suddenly it hit him. Smith.  
  
He still remembered the icy liquid encompassing his body, the feeling of his last breath catching in his thought, and resonance from the last dull thud of his heart. Surely he should be dead? He felt for his pulse, it was still there, but then this was just his residual self-image, it wasn't real. But if he was still in the Matrix, and was alive, what about his body?  
  
Neo paused. If Smith had copied himself into his matrix image, and he was here, still alive, then Smith must have awoken in the real world, in his body, with Trinity, Morpheus, Link and the Keymaker not knowing his was still in the Matrix. Neo frantically searched around the empty darkness for some kind of exit, he had to find a way out, he had to warn them. They would realise it wasn't really him wouldn't they?  
  
  
  
On the Neb - Trinity and Neo's cabin  
  
  
  
Trinity and 'Neo' were sat on the cot, Trinity was resting her head on 'Neo's' chest.  
  
"I almost thought I lost you today Neo, I just don't know what I would do if you left me" she said, slightly embarrassed  
  
It was true, Trinity feared for him every time he entered the Matrix. He may be the One, but he took a lot more risks than any of the other rebels, and usually most of the Agents went to fight him before anyone else. She never told Neo how much she worried, he was already under enough pressure.  
  
'Neo' stroked her hair softly, "Shh, I won't be leaving any time soon" he said smiling, and kissed her.  
  
Trinity smiled and kissed back lovingly.  
  
  
  
The Source  
  
  
  
Neo paced back a forth. One of two things must have happened. Either Agent Smith had managed to wake up in his body and the crew had realised what had happened, subdued Smith and were trying to find him, or they hadn't realised that the 'Neo' on the ship was actually Agent Smith and had carried on as normal.  
  
The crew must have realised that it wasn't him on the ship. Trinity and Morpheus couldn't have not noticed the difference between him and a cold, emotionless computer program would they? Neo stopped pacing. Lately, with the fate of Zion and every human in the Matrix resting on his shoulders, coupled with his increasing fear of Trinity getting hurt each time they entered the Matrix, he had found himself becoming increasingly stoic. He hardly expressed his fears to anyone any more. Everyone was too busy putting their faith in the fact that because he was The One, he couldn't possibly fail. He hardly even confided in Trinity.  
  
Neo sat down and rested his head on his knees. What was he going to do now? He couldn't stay stuck here forever; he had to do something, anything. He stood up and screamed "LET ME OUT!!" It echoed into the silent darkness.  
  
He didn't notice a man in a suit, sunglasses and well polished leather shoes walking up behind him.  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Emotions

  
  
On the Neb  
  
  
  
Agent Smith was somewhat amazed by the fact the rebels aboard the ship had not noticed any extensive differences between himself and Mr Anderson they were supposedly his companions and they all, in particular Trinity seemed to know him quite intimately, however they had not yet discovered that he had replaced their beloved 'One'.  
  
Interesting, he thought. These humans can spend months, even years together, yet an Agent can still learn more about them, search intricate details about their past, personality, and relationships in seconds, than a human could in a lifetime. None of them know each other at all. That is where Programs such as the Agents have the advantage, Agents could communicate between each other and the mainframe, to gain necessary information instantaneously.  
  
But Smith isn't connected to the mainframe any more. That is one of the reasons he hates Anderson so much. Smith pauses. Technically programs shouldn't be able, to hate, or to feel at all. But then all Agents were programmed to have a small amount of human emotion, to help them understand the Rebels, to be able to predict their reactions. However not all Agents are programmed in exactly the same way, as most of the Rebels thought, each Agent has a slight difference about them, each had a slightly different, Smith supposes it is what a human would call talent. Smiths talent was a much more detailed understanding of human emotions.  
  
Smith supposes that is what his flaw was. Where Agents Brown and Jones felt mild satisfaction once then had apprehended a target, Agent Smith felt pleasure. Where Agents Brown and Jones felt the need to fulfil their objectives, Smith felt the desire to. At first this had made him one of the most successful Agents the matrix had ever had, until Anderson came. Smith had just completed his purpose, his objective of deleting Anderson, when Anderson had done what was impossible, come back and killed him, an Agent. He had failed. And now he no purpose  
  
So it was those emotions that had driven him here now, his desire, to hurt Anderson, to delete him, to remove his purpose, to make him suffer. It was his desire for revenge. Smith knew he would get revenge too He picked up the phone.  
  
  
  
The Source  
  
  
  
Neo was staring into the darkness, he felt a bit stupid about the yelling now, but he had just felt so lost.  
  
"So it appears even the anomaly can be overwritten" stated a level voice.  
  
Neo span around so fast that Agent Brown stumbled backwards. Neo was amused and rather surprised to find that Agents could actually look shocked.  
  
Neo frowned slightly. "What are you doing here?" he asked trying to ignore the impulse to fight the Agent, as he had done so many times before.  
  
Agent Brown raised an eyebrow. "I am in temporary deletion storage, for the same reason as you. My program has been overwritten"  
  
Neo decided that he didn't like the sound of 'temporary deletion storage' or being overwritten. "Who overwrought you?" Neo questioned  
  
Agent Brown never cessed to be amazed by the blatant stupidity of some humans. "My program was overwritten by the rouge Agent, Smith" he said with contempt. "He has upgraded his software somehow, and is able to replicate himself into more, sophisticated programs"  
  
Neo looked at the Agent thoughtfully, he didn't seem very pleased about being overwritten, which wasn't a good sign. Tentivly he asked, "So, what happens when you are overwritten?"  
  
Agent Brown's fists clenched, and eyes narrowed, Neo felt a bit worried, he had never seen Agent Brown ever express any signs of emotion more than smugness or slight annoyance, and right now he looked more furious than Agent Smith ever had.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Purpose

This fic seems to have a lot POV for each character, I have tried to make it quite accurate, but I had to kind of imagine what Agent Brown would be thinking, as he doesn't really say all that much in the film compared to Smith. But from what I could tell, he doesn't really like Smith, and doesn't hate Neo more than any other rebel. So here it goes!!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Source  
  
  
  
for the first time since he had arrived in this... place, Neo felt worried. If an Agent, who had practically no emotion, could get so angry about being here, then it probably wasn't a good place to be. He looked towards Agent Brown. "What happens?" he demanded a little more forcefully. Agent Brown shook his head slightly, sighed and relaxed his hands.  
  
"I am not entirely sure why I should be passing this information on, to a *rebel* " Brown said turning to Neo. "But I suppose that it doesn't matter now anyway." Neo frowned.  
  
"Most programs at work in the Matrix that you can see, such as the Agents, are split into two main parts; the residual image, and the main program itself. Humans in the Matrix are also split in a similar way, except they have an extra component. They have their biological body, their residual self-image, and their mind, which functions in the same way as our main program.  
  
Agents can transfer their programming to different residual images, and temporally over-ride the humans original program, or what you would call mind. Which is how you see us move from body to body"  
  
Brown paused a second and looked thoughtful.  
  
"Agent Smith has somehow managed to not only take control of the humans residual image, but has managed to reprogram the mind to be a copy of his own programming."  
  
"But that doesn't make any sense, if that's what Smith is doing then technically we wouldn't be ourselves now, we would be Smiths" Intercepted Neo  
  
Brown looked put out. "That *is* what he is doing Mr Anderson."  
  
Neo sighed, why did Agents insist on calling him that? At least Agent Brown didn't drag it out and accent every syllable like Smith did.  
  
"Smith just cannot overwrite a person's original programming instantly, he extracts it, sends in here, to part of the source, than hacks it and reprograms it. The process takes time."  
  
'Shit.' Thought Neo "How long does it take?"  
  
Brown quickly calculated the approximate times "Human minds don't take to reprogramming naturally, it varies. For normal plugged humans about 4 hours, unplugged; 6 hours, Programs; 8 hours, and someone like you? About 7."  
  
Neo looked at his watch, neon green figures, glowed; '21:45' Neo couldn't believe that they had come into the Matrix at 6.30. He had 3 hours and 45 minutes left.  
  
Neo stared blankly at the numbers eerie glow. He'd always assumed that when it was going to end, it would be in a big fight trying to save someone, or end the war, or free everyone from the Matrix. Not like this, away from Trinity and the crew, completely alone apart from an Agent!  
  
He thought that when he died it would have been for a purpose. Neo was realistic; he hadn't expected to live a very long life, even though he had always wanted to start a family with Trinity. He knew that by entering the Matrix almost every day you took risks, but you took them for a reason, for a purpose, you risked dying to help someone else, for other people to live. Being overwritten into a copy of Agent Smith, while your friends didn't have the slightest idea what was going on, not even the woman you loved, wasn't helping anyone, it had no purpose.  
  
  
  
The Neb- Mess room  
  
  
  
Smith looked down at this *food* with disapproval why did humans eat this stuff? He questioned his programming Food: - What is fed upon; that which goes to support life by being received within, and assimilated by, the organism of an animal or a plant; nutriment; aliment; especially, what is eaten by animals for nourishment.  
  
Smith checked his watch, he would have to be careful what he said, it was vital to his plan that the crew didn't become suspicious, and even he realised the differential usage of vocabulary between the Agents and the Rebels, he would have to try to be more... informal. At this time, there could be no mistakes.  
  
"Morpheus, I thought that I should inform you that I have organised the transfer of the survivor from the Helios, to our ship, as Captain Nairobi's ship doesn't have the satisfactory amount of accommodation" 'Neo' stated confidently  
  
Both Link and Trinity stopped eating midway and stared at him.  
  
Smith shifted uncomfortably, was that not informal enough? He hadn't called Morpheus captain.  
  
Morpheus frowned. "Neo, you why didn't you confirm with me first? You know that Bane is under investigation for sabotage."  
  
Smith fumbled for an excuse. A quick, simple, valid, informal, Anderson- worthy excuse. "I, well. You were busy, and I thought, well, we have satisfactory accommodation, and Bane is in a coma, so he couldn't, well he shouldn't..."  
  
Morpheus laughed, and got up to leave "It's all right Neo, just check with me next time ok?"  
  
'Neo' cast his eyes down "Yes. I won't make the same mistake again." he said quietly  
  
"Are you alright Neo?" Trinity questioned softly "you haven't touched your *yummy* single-cell protein"  
  
"Yes I am fine" 'Neo' said flatly "I'm just not hungry"  
  
Smith got up and left the Mess room. The problem was that he *was* hungry. This body was always; hungry, thirsty, hot, cold, tried, always wanting something, always demanding. Was that a human's only purpose? The extra emotions didn't help either. Being in Andersons body, he always felt odd around Trinity, especially when they had kissed.  
  
The kissing was probably the biggest shock to him. Agents didn't have feelings towards any other organisms other that mild dislike, or in Smiths case hate. They *certainly* didn't kiss anyone, they didn't even know how. Luckily for Smith, Anderson's body had known what to do, although it wasn't an experience he was sure he was quite ready to repeat.  
  
God, Smith was glad he wasn't human.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Thanks to my reviewers so far (you guys are the best!!) and FF.net for their Agent Smith-worthy definition of food!! 


	6. Confusion

  
  
  
  
The Neb  
  
  
  
Trinity watched Neo leave with concern, he had been acting so.... off, lately. At first she had assumed that it was because of what had happened at the Source. He was about to fulfil his destiny, only to be pulled back from it last minute, and nearly die. She had thought he had been so quiet because he had been planning with Morpheus and the Keymaker, on when to try to go back in, but Morpheus had asked her if she had noticed that he was acting oddly as well.  
  
If that wasn't why Neo was acting strangely then what could it be? Was it her? First he had pleaded with her not to enter the Matrix, and hadn't told her why. And now that he was back, after their brief kisses when he first came out, he hadn't so much as touched her, and she would even go as far to say as he was avoiding her. Maybe that was what it was. Maybe he was trying to let her down gently, and was nervous. Sure, the Oracle had said that she would fall in love with the One, but she had never mentioned that the One would love her.  
  
No, Neo loved her, she was sure of it. But then *was* was the operative word. Maybe he had lost interest in her, he knew he could have almost any girl in Zion, so why would he choose her? Trinity was surprised to find her eyes filling up. How could she get so worked up over all of this? Neo acts the slightest bit out of character, and she thinks its because he's off to womanise in Zion? She could be so stupid at times, it was probably nothing.  
  
  
  
The Source  
  
  
  
Agent Brown looked over to Neo. As soon as he had told the Anomaly how long he had left before he was reprogrammed, he had become silent, and just kept staring blankly into space. Agent Brown experienced an emotion he had never had before, one he couldn't place. Was it pity?  
  
Neo had been trying to think of something he could do, someway to get back to his body, or at least warn the crew about what had happened, but he was stuck here, and time kept slipping away.  
  
His mind strayed to Trinity, of all the people in the real world, Trinity knew him best, or so he thought. He missed her so much, and he had only been gone for less than two hours, he loved her. Neo thought she had loved *him* too, but then how could she not know the difference between him and Smith, they had *nothing* in common!  
  
For a start, Smith was a program; he seemed to show almost no emotion apart from his anger towards his enemies, in particular himself. Smith also had the ability to do things that no human could do, he never was willing to give up, and didn't seem to be able to die. Neo paused; maybe he was more like Smith than he was willing to admit.  
  
Even so, Neo knew Trinity loved him, he could see it every time they looked into each others eyes. If she didn't know him as well as he had thought, then it wasn't her fault, it was his for being so distant, he would find a way back to her; he wouldn't give up that easily.  
  
Agent Brown felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned around to see a resolute Mr Anderson, "If you can figured out Smith managed to hack into the source to put us here, then surely you can find a way for us to hack back out."  
  
Agent Brown frowned, he didn't like the sound of this.  
  
  
  
The Neb- the computer room  
  
  
  
Agent Smith smiled smugly to himself while setting up computer equipment. The crew had goon to sleep, and so far everything was going according to plan none of them suspected anything in the slightest, not one of them could tell the difference between Anderson and himself.  
  
Smith stopped typing. They couldn't tell the difference between the infuriating Anderson, and Him? Smith? Smith wasn't sure that he liked that at all. He was nothing like Anderson in the slightest. They probably just couldn't tell the difference between Anderson and himself because he had done such a good job in eluding their underdeveloped minds. That was it. Smith and Anderson had *nothing* in common.  
  
Smith rammed a cable into the computer with a little more force than necessary.  
  
  
  
The Source  
  
  
  
Agent Brown was avoiding Neo's gaze. "There *is* a way out isn't there!" said Neo triumphantly Agent Brown looked uncomfortable, "I am not permitted to answer that"  
  
Neo grinned "I *knew* it." Suddenly his grin vanished, if there is a way out of here, then why hadn't the Agent used it?  
  
"How can I get out of here?" Neo questioned again  
  
Brown clenched his teeth. "Mr Anderson, even if I was to tell you the way out of here, which I repeat, that I will not. The chances of you being able to do it are very slim, even for someone of your particular talent. If an Agent cannot hack out of the source, then I severely doubt a rebel could."  
  
Neo narrowed his eyes. It looked like he may have to get Agent Brown to make a *compromise*  
  
  
  
  
  



	7. Blackmail

  
  
The Neb  
  
  
  
'Neo' was standing in the medical bay, hands clasped behind his back, and was giving the nurse an evil glare prompting her to leave, and go back to her own ship.  
  
"He should be alright," she said hurriedly "I just wouldn't expect him to wake up anytime soon." she said with a sort of frightened giggle. She had heard that the One was the quiet sort, but was generally polite and friendly. At the moment he looked like neither, but more like he wanted to ram her head into a barrel of single-cell protein  
  
"No" Replied 'Neo' looking at the nurse icily "That would be highly improbable" he drawled  
  
"Yes, well, I'll just be um, I'll just be going now." she muttered, half running out of the ship.  
  
Smith sighed; honestly, some humans couldn't just take a hint. Well at least he wouldn't have to be here for much longer. The apparently comatose 'Bane' opened his eyes suddenly, and sat up. Now they could continue with the more enjoyable part of the plan.  
  
  
  
The Source  
  
  
  
Agent Brown's eyes narrowed, Mr Anderson was walking towards him looking very determined. If it was one thing he could say about humans, some of them just didn't know when to give up. He reached down towards his gun carefully.  
  
Neo stopped a foot from Brown and smirked. "You *are* going to tell me how to get out of here." he said, showing no signs of imminent violence at all.  
  
Brown frowned, slightly confused, he had been expecting a fight "And why ...*Mr Anderson*, do you think that? "  
  
Neo sighed in mock frustration. "Well I would usually say blackmail is to harsh a word, but it pretty much describes what I'm doing."  
  
Agent Brown looked relived. That was all? *He* was going to try and blackmail an *Agent*? "And how Mr Anderson exactly do you plan to blackmail *me*?" he said with a hint of amusement.  
  
"Well" Neo began. "It seems to me that Agent Smith is just as angry at the source for trying to delete him as he is at me, why else would he have gone to all that trouble to figure out how to overwrite an Agent program? I doubt you're the only Agent he wants to get rid of."  
  
Brown looked ever so slightly worried.  
  
Neo continued, knowing now that Agent Brown was actually taking him seriously. "So with me out of the way, Smith is going to be concentrating on taking all you guys down, and upgrades and all, there isn't much you are going to be able to do about it, I mean," Neo laughed "Every time you sent out another new Agent to fight him, you're going to just get another Smith."  
  
Browns hands curled into fists. He knew Smith was strong, but he had never been considered a major threat. But now, if he could overwrite Agents.... "So how will sending you back to the Matrix, help us? You will just end up back here, if you manage to leave in the first place." said Brown unconvinced.  
  
Neo sighed, properly this time. "Look. If I can get out of here, and manage to regain control of my body, I can defiantly stop Smith from doing it to me again. I don't know why, you will just have to trust me."  
  
Brown raised an eyebrow "And I suppose after you are free, you are going to willingly help Agents" Brown stated, he didn't trust humans, they were unreliable.  
  
"I want to get rid of Agent Smith just as much as you do. In fact probably more so, and if it benefits the Agents in the process...well its a price I'm willing to pay." Said Neo looking Brown in the eyes.  
  
Brown didn't want to risk deletion, and hand over extremely important information to the major threat to the Matrix, but then would deletion really bother him if he was going to be an Agent Smith replica? However if Brown did help Mr Anderson then he would have lost the perfect chance for the system to delete him once and for all, but would the anomaly be worst than the swarms of Agent Smith that would otherwise take over the system?  
  
It was times like this that he was glad that he was connected to the Matrix, he could instantly come to a decision once conferring with Agent Jones, the Source or other Agents. But he was on his own now. Cut off. He alone had to make a decision.  
  
Neo was nervous, Agents were naturally short tempered and if he hadn't convinced Agent Brown, then he really would be stuck here, he would never see Trinity again.  
  
Brown had made up his mind. He looked towards the anxious Neo.  
  
"I'll help you."  
  
  
  
The Neb  
  
  
  
Bane-Smith sat down at the computer and started typing, while 'Neo' got into the chairs used to load into the Matrix. Bane-Smith had finished typing and looked over to where 'Neo' was sat, smiling. "Ready?" he questioned,  
  
"Yes. I think it's time we paid our *friend* Mister Anderson a visit"  
  
  
  



	8. Disscusion

  
  
  
  
  
  
The Source  
  
  
  
"So, I have to just open the wall of code?" questioned Neo  
  
"No" sighed Brown "If it was that simple I would have left myself. You have to concentrate on opening the first layer of code, then keep it open whilst you open the next, and the next.."  
  
"How many layers are there?" said Neo looking slightly alarmed.  
  
"Around 100"  
  
"Ah." Neo had thought that this was going to be easy. He had had no trouble with manipulating the Matrix before, but then technically this wasn't quite the Matrix. Brown had agreed to remove layers of protective coding, but was unable to force apart the actual fabric of the program that kept them in the Source. That was up to Neo.  
  
Neo took a deep breath and focused on the darkness. Slowly it turned into layers of speeding green figures, concentrating, the first layer slowed down and eventually stopped. Now he had to somehow pry them apart. Neo gritted his teeth and poured all his energy into moving the numbers apart, he had to do it. The numbers started to separate painfully slowly, just a little further Neo thought, just a little.... Suddenly he lost his concentration, and the numbers came back together and continued to speed as they faded back into the darkness.  
  
"Dam it!" Neo yelled in frustration. He couldn't even get past the first layer; he just wasn't strong enough to keep the numbers apart.  
  
Brown raised his eyebrows, "I told you it would not be easy Mr Anderson, but if it *encourages* you, it was written to be unbreakable."  
  
Neo sighed, this was his one shot, he had to do it. "I knew it would be hard" he said staring at the ground, "But I *will* do it, I need to. I have to get back to..."  
  
"Your *friends* Mister Anderson?" drawled a voice from the darkness  
  
Both Neo and Agent Brown looked in the direction of the voice, with a surprisingly similar angry look on their faces.  
  
"Smith" Spat Neo, glaring at Agent Smith venomously  
  
"Yes" Said Smith smirking. "There seems to be a lot of me around nowadays."  
  
***  
  
"What do you want Smith?" growled Neo  
  
"Not a lot, Mister Anderson, I seem to already have anything I could want from *you*. I just thought you might like to know how your...*Friends* were." He said smugly.  
  
"If you have done *anything* to them I'll...." Neo began dangerously.  
  
"Well, Mister Anderson, that's just it. I haven't *had* to do anything to them at all. Quite frankly they haven't got the slightest clue that you are missing."  
  
"What?" Said Neo taken aback  
  
"Yes" Said Smith, thoughtfully, "Even, *I* thought they would have noticed something...odd was going on by now. But no, not even your friend Trinity. Now *there* is an interesting relationship you have.."  
  
"If you have so much a touched her.." Neo said warningly  
  
"Ah, Mister Anderson, I believe that you misunderstand my motives here."  
  
Neo looked slightly confused.  
  
"I am not at all interested in harming your *friends*, although I don't admit I wouldn't find it enjoyable. No. You see Mister Anderson; I am interested in harming you. In hurting you. And eventually erasing you.  
  
You may not have noticed Mister Anderson, but you have been the main source of all my problems. Losing the passwords to Zion, losing my place in the Matrix, losing my connection to the source, losing my purpose as an Agent."  
  
Brown shot Smith a look of disgust, he blamed Smith's unprecedented methods as much as the Anomalies interference, Smith had always been more emotionally involved than the other Agents, it was his main flaw.  
  
"So now, Mister Anderson, I believe it would be only fair for you to suffer, for you to lose something too." Smith finished, the manic gleam in his eyes not quite hidden by his dark glasses.  
  
Neo suddenly felt very uneasy. What did Smith mean, he wanted him to lose something too? What was he planning, wasn't overwriting him enough?  
  
Smith smiled and pulled something out of his pocket, Neo raised his arms ready to fight, but it wasn't a gun. Smith pressed a button on the small remote-like object and a large screen appeared, suspended in the darkness.  
  
"I though you might like to know what is going on, and, of course to see your *friends* die." Sneered Smith.  
  
Neo ran at him, but as he punched Smith, his hands went straight through his body. Neo stared at his body in shock. "What."  
  
Smith laughed brutally "*you* can't hurt me in here. I thought you would have known *that* at least Mister Anderson" He said, and turned to walk away. "Oh, and don't try to escape. Even if you do manage to get out of here, which I severely doubt, I'm not sure that you will want to go back to your so called *friends"  
  
Before Neo could reply Smith had vanished. Neo stared hopelessly into the darkness.  
  
"Mr Anderson" Brown called, motioning towards the screen. It showed Smith in *his* body getting up out of the loading chair, while Bane handed him a box from next to the computer. 'Neo' rummaged around in the box, pulled out a small black handgun and started to walk out of the computer room, to where Neo knew his and Trinity's cabin was.  
  
Neo's eyes widened in comprehension. He was going to kill Trinity. "NO!" he yelled franticly at the screen, startling Agent Brown in the process.  
  
He had to get out, but even if he did, would he get to Trinity in time? Would Trinity even realise that it wasn't *him* who killed her? No. She is not going to die, she can't. But she would, unless he could get out.  
  
Her last thoughts would be that he was a traitor, that he had never loved her. Either that or that he had snapped. She would realise that he could never kill her, wouldn't she? Surely she didn't think he would be capable of that? Didn't she know that he lover her more than anything in this world, or any other? That he would die a thousand times just to save her?  
  
"No, Please" Neo whispered weakly, he couldn't let her die, not Trinity. He loved her too damn much.  
  
  
  
  
  



	9. Dreams

  
  
The Neb  
  
  
  
Smith strode purposefully out of the computer room, and smiled at the memory of the look on Andersons face. Humans had got one thing right; revenge was sweet.  
  
Smith slipped into Trinity's cabin, and looked down on her quietly sleeping form. Her brow was creased in a frown, and her eyes were screwed up in concentration, it looked as though she was having a bad dream.  
  
Smith toyed with the gun, it would be very easy to kill her now, it would a couple of minutes for the rest of the crew to wake up, if they even heard the disturbance, and he could systematically wipe out the whole crew in under an hour.  
  
But if the crew was asleep, and Anderson didn't see it happen, it would be deifying his whole purpose here.  
  
Trinity started to toss and turn in her sheets, thrashing her arms recklessly. He put the gun in his pocket; he would wait until the right moment. She was muttering and waving her arms, as if to push something away. "No... don't..No..Please..You can't!...you wouldn't..." Smith sat down on the edge of the bed. He wasn't sure what to do when humans had unpleasant dreams; apparently they compared dreams to being in the Matrix. "No...Please..I don't want to die!" she pleaded. Smith smiled. Maybe she was dreaming about him.  
  
Suddenly Trinity sat up, causing 'Neo' to jump back in shock. She stared around wildly 'Neo' lent forward and put a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her, but she flinched at his touch. She turned to his face, and her eyes widened in fear. "Get away, it's not you, you wouldn't, you'd never!! I know who you are!!" she yelled at 'Neo' blindly. he quickly reached towards the gun.  
  
Trinity stopped shouting and flailing her arms. "Neo?" she whispered "Oh, Neo it's you! I'm sorry, I..I..was just, I was dreaming, and....and, I can't quite remember what happened but.." "Shhh, It was only a dream, it wasn't real." he said in an attempt at sympathy. Trinity lent against him, but frowned as she felt him go ridged against her.  
  
For some reason Smith felt his heart start pounding. It was certainly an odd experience, he had been seconds away from killing her, but now she was helpless, weakly clinging to him because of the effects of a few nocturnal images. He felt strangely compelled to actually protect her. He slowly relaxed his body and let Trinity slip her arms around him. Why did he feel like this? Did Anderson love Trinity so much that even when he wasn't in control of his body, it still found a way to care for her?  
  
Smith didn't like it. He didn't like feeling what Anderson felt, he had already become too tainted by human emotions to end up feeling something as pointless and dangerous as love.  
  
Trinity started to slid her hands under his sweater, but Neo stopped her, "No, we..we should really try to get some sleep" he said, voice husky, and rose up from Trinity's bed.  
  
Trinity cast her eyes downwards, trying to hide the hurt they would blatantly reveal. "Yes, I suppose your right." she muttered "Good night"  
  
  
  
The Source  
  
  
  
Neo had been sat on the floor, staring in turn at his watch and the empty computer room on the screen. He had tried to open the code again, and again, but after the last futile attempt he had rested his head against his knees and closed his eyes in fatigue and despair.  
  
"Trinity?"  
  
Trinity was smiling softly at him, dressed in a long silk white dress, instead of her usual Matrix outfit, in contrast to the darkness of the room. "Hey, baby, you didn't think that we wouldn't notice would you? we came as soon as we could." She called to him. Neo ran up and grasped her tightly. "Trinity how did you find me? how did you..??" he whispered through tears.  
  
"Hey" she said gently, wiping away his tears, "don't get so upset" "Trinity, you don't understand, I thought I would never see you again!" he gasped. She had come back, she had known what had happened and had found him. He rested his head against hers, and felt her heart beating in unison with his own.  
  
Suddenly she pushed him away, "No...don't..no..please..you can't!...you wouldn't..." she yelled furiously. "What?" said Neo, confused "Trinity, what do you mean?" "No...please..I don't want to die!" she pleaded. "Trinity, why do you...?" Neo paused as he looked down at himself. He was wearing the typical Agent suit, and was holding a gun. How did that happen? When did he get the gun? and why was he dressed as an Agent?  
  
"Trinity, I...I..don't know how...I....I'm not going to hurt you! Trinity!" He yelled franticly, but Trinity had started to run away from him. Neo ran after her, and she tripped and fell. "Trinity.." Neo pleaded reaching towards her, but she scrambled away, and glared up at him. "Get away, it's not you, you wouldn't, you'd never!! I know who you are!!" she screamed "What..Trinity, it's me, Neo! what do you..."  
  
Trinity pushed up to her feet and looked at him in disgust "Don't say his name. I know who you are.....Smith."  
  
"NO!" Yelled Neo "No, I'm not! I'm....." There was a bang, and Neo looked down from the blood soaked bullet wound in Trinity's chest, to the smoke rising from the gun in his hand.  
  
"No.....I......I...." he whispered in disbelief. There was a dull thud as Trinity's body fell to the ground. "No..I..I didn't mean to.."  
  
"Mr Anderson."  
  
***  
  
"Mr Anderson!" said a voice impatiently  
  
Neo flailed his arms franticly at Agent Brown "No! No!..i didn't mean..." He opened his eyes and looked at Brown with utter bewilderment. "What?..what..was i?..was it a dream?"  
  
Brown stared at Neo slightly confused. "I am not sure, you were yelling and moving about a lot. Do humans normally do that in sleep?"  
  
"Sleep?" said Neo "I was asleep!" Neo gaped at his watch; '00:35' He had been asleep for almost 2 hours. How could he have let that happen? He had less than an hour left. The whole crew could be dead!  
  
Neo practically threw Brown out of the way, and stared at the screen. Link and Morpheus were in the computer room. Alive.  
  
But where was Trinity? The dream had seen so real, from her warm touch to the look of shock on her face as she had died. The door to the room was awkwardly pushed open by Trinity carrying some large cables. Neo sighed and put his head in his hands. Brown looked at him with what appeared to be concern.  
  
"WHY did you let me fall asleep? Smith could of shot them and I wouldn't have had a clue!" Neo shouted accusingly at Agent Brown.  
  
Browns look of concern, immediately vanished. He glared at Neo for a second and sighed. "I was watching the screen. You had fallen asleep, but I didn't wake you as nothing important had happened, and I thought you might have a better chance of getting out of here if you had had a rest." Neo looked slightly shocked. "I would have woken you if anything had happened" Brown added quietly.  
  
Maybe the Agents were more human than Neo had thought, he was sure that was sorrow he had detected in Browns voice. "Um, sorry. Thanks" Said Neo awkwardly.  
  
"It's..." Brown began, but stopped.  
  
'Neo' had just strode into the computer room on the screen with the Keymaker.  
  
  
  
The Neb  
  
  
  
"They will know you are not the one" the Keymaker muttered to 'Neo'  
  
"Hmm, well that's a bit late now I think" 'Neo' replied smugly.  
  
The crew turned around as 'Neo' walked in.  
  
"Did you sleep ok Neo?" Questioned Link  
  
"Yeah, great. Trinity, Morpheus?" He began  
  
they both turned around,. "What is it Neo?" said Trinity warily.  
  
"Well if something was to happen to the Keymaker, would we have any other way of entering the Source?" He said lightly.  
  
"No.." said Morpheus slowly "why do you.."  
  
'Neo' whipped out his gun and shot the Keymaker before he had a chance to blink. As his body fell to the floor 'Neo' smiled "Just checking"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	10. Truth

  
  
  
  
  
  
The Neb  
  
  
  
Morpheus, Trinity and Link all stared at 'Neo' in shock. He had just killed the Keymaker. Morpheus stared blankly from 'Neo', to the body on the floor. Their one chance at ending the war was lost. He couldn't believe it. Neo was the one, he was meant to end the war, to save them all, not doom them. He knew that Neo had been acting a bit out of character lately, but Morpheus' trust in him had always been unwavering, unconditional. Neo couldn't have done this, there must have been a mistake. "No" he choked  
  
Trinity didn't hear Morpheus, she was waiting for Neo to gasp, or drop his gun, once he realised what had happened. Neo wouldn't have done this on purpose, it must have been an accident. But there he was, no look of shock or guilt on his face, just....satisfaction. For god's sake, he was smiling at them!  
  
Is this what his odd behaviour had been about? Had he decided that he had, had enough? had he flipped?  
  
"Neo...why?" Morpheus gasped  
  
'Neo' sighed, smiling "Well, I thought that was obvious, even to *you*"  
  
'Neo' was cut off. "Don't even try it" snarled Bane.  
  
Link had been creeping out of the computer room while 'Neo's' attention had been on the other two. He thought that if he could just get to the supply room he could get the spare guns, and they could sedate Neo, or do *something*. But he had been stopped short by Banes gun, rammed up against his temple.  
  
"uh...o.ok" he stuttered and edged back to his seat  
  
Trinity glared angrily at Bane "Is that it?" she demaned "Has Bane done something to you? Is he blackmailing you?"  
  
'Neo' raised an eyebrow and laughed bitterly  
  
"Please Neo" Trinity continued, more softly "You don't want to do this, I, I don't know what he has said he'll do, but you don't have to do this" she pleaded.  
  
"*Please* I am not doing *anything* because of Bane. He's helping *me*" 'Neo' stated , and pointed the gun at Morpheus and Trinity.  
  
"Sit down." he ordered, but they didn't move.  
  
"Sit. Down!" he yelled, Both Morpheus and Trinity sat down sharply on the edge of the loading chairs.  
  
'Neo' smiled "Good. Now, if you *really* want to know why I'm doing this, why I am going to kill you, and tell the source the position of every ship, in and out of Zion..."  
  
Morpheus barely stifled a gasp of horror. and Trinity looked suddenly very fearful.  
  
"...Then I will. It is because of you."  
  
  
  
The Source  
  
  
  
Neo gaped, open mouthed at the screen. "No! That's not true" he yelled, knowing full well that the crew couldn't hear him.  
  
Brown watched, intrigued at his reaction. Did Mr Anderson not realise that it was physically impossible for his voice to travel out of the source, out of the matrix, and to his ship?  
  
But then maybe it was just one of those odd things humans did that he would never understand.  
  
Neo put his head in his hands, trying to think. He was hoping for a little more time than this. He had barely progressed at all with getting out of here, and time kept slipping away.  
  
He focused on the darkness again, watching it blend into the speeding figures, and trying to ignore what was happening on the screen.  
  
  
  
The Neb/The Screen  
  
  
  
"What...what do you mean" whispered Trinity  
  
"What do I mean?" replied 'Neo' mockingly "What I mean is, how can I bare to be here with you people a second longer! How can I bare to be in *this place* a second longer!"  
  
"You all believe so blindly that *The One* will be able to save you, just because of a prophecy, he can free all of these people. To this? This *reality*? Why? What is here for them?"  
  
"You think it is easy, with everyone continually adding pressure, with everyone asking to watch over their family, to help protect Zion and end a war with no idea how too? Don't you understand how hard it is to try and protect everyone, to try and use powers you don't understand, to do things you don't know how to do? People are always telling me to do things, asking me questions, I would like some answers too you know! I don't understand how I do the things I do, and that makes people either fear me, or expect me to solve all their problems. Well I can't!"  
  
'Neo' was breathing heavily now. Smith didn't understand how he had delved so much into Andersons hidden troubles and personality. And quite frankly he didn't want to delve any further. He didn't want to end up forgetting who he was, or losing sight of his mission. But he hadn't realised that Anderson wasn't as contented as he seemed on the surface, Anderson was almost as frustrated as he himself was. Was it being in Anderson's body that had given him that insight?  
  
  
  
The Source  
  
  
  
Neo was still looking at the neon green figures, only he wasn't seeing them any more. He was listening to what Smith was saying. He had tried to block it out at first, he had told himself that it was just Smith talking, trying to get revenge, but what was worrying him was that Smith was starting to say things, that *he* beloved, that *he* had thought.  
  
How could Smith know exactly how it felt to be the One? And if what Smith was saying now was true....  
  
No. he knew he would never have ended up doing something as drastic as betraying the whole crew, and the rest of the rebels like that. Even if being the One did bring a lot of pressure and pain at times, even if it meant he had to distance himself from the ones he loved, he still did believe he was trying to do the right thing by freeing people. They at least deserved a choice.  
  
And if he didn't find away to stop Smith, they never would.  
  
  
  
The Neb/The Screen  
  
  
  
'Neo' had calmed down slightly now after his outburst. Trinity had never realised, that was how he had felt. God, why hadn't see known? She was supposed to be his soul mate, the one he confided in. She should have known as soon as he had come back form the Matrix, after his run in with Smith that something wasn't right. She just hadn't ever expected him to ever betray them like this.  
  
'Neo' had paused from his thoughts and looked at her with sudden inspiration. "But do you know what the hardest thing was Trinity?" he questioned "What?" she replied, with an unaccountable feeling of dread.  
  
"Pretending to love you" he sneered  
  
Trinity felt as if she had been kicked in the stomach, in spit of herself tears started to stream down her cheeks, he couldn't mean it, he would never say that!  
  
"You..You don't love me?" she gasped, begging, praying, it wasn't true, that it was just another twisted nightmare, that she would wake up in Neo's arms, look into his eyes, and know that it could *never* be true.  
  
'Neo' laughed curly and walked over to her, and meeting her pleading eyes with cold hard ones, and whispered  
  
"I never did."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
I would just like to say BAD BAD AGENT SMITH!!! He he, well it gets worse! 


	11. Found?

  
  
The Source  
  
  
  
Neo's shout of "NO!" came at exactly the same time as Trinity's heartbroken sob  
  
He was filled with a fury that he had never known.  
  
Smith was hurting Trinity. Hurting her through him.  
  
How could she think that he could ever say that? Ever even think that? He loved her with all his soul, and she didn't even realise. He franticly shook the screen.  
  
He couldn't do it. He couldn't save her. Every time her tried to part the speeding code keeping him here, he saw her eyes brimming with tears and pain. Pain from him.  
  
He sank to the floor in despair and wrapped his arms around his knees. There was nothing he could do. She was going to die and there was nothing he could do to stop it.  
  
  
  
The Neb  
  
  
  
Smith was revelling in his torment of Trinity. If only he could see Andersons face. Well, the look on Morpheus would suffice. His emotions appeared to be a mix of confused, betrayed and violent. Where as Trinity, well Trinity looked devastated, and Smith knew that by hurting her, he would most defiantly be hurting Anderson.  
  
He checked his watch, there wasn't long left now, he would have to do it quickly. "Load them into the Matrix" he ordered to Link.  
  
Link looked to Trinity, who was staring tear-streaked at the floor, and Morpheus who was glaring at 'Neo'.  
  
"Do it." Bane muttered, motioning to the computer with his gun.  
  
"You may as well die in what you are trying so hard to destroy." Said Neo with a smirk  
  
Trinity looked up into Neo's eyes, it was like he had become a different person. She didn't understand how such warm and loving eyes, could suddenly become so cold and uncaring. Just like his change of personality. She had thought she had known him, she had never thought he would do something like this, let alone take such pleasure in killing her. Had he always been like this, but just hidden it, just pretended to care? Had he just been lying to her all along? Toying with her feelings?  
  
"It's not you, you wouldn't, you'd never do this Neo" she yelled through tears as 'Neo' strapped a now stoic Morpheus into the chair.  
  
"Then maybe you don't know me that well" 'Neo' replied harshly  
  
He started to strap her in, but she pushed and kicked against him, trying to slip out of his rough grip. If Neo really didn't love her, and had been lying to her all along, then he shouldn't mind if she tried to injure him a bit, or a lot, in the process. She wasn't going to go without a fight, even if it was against someone she loved.  
  
'Neo' sighed "*Why* are you trying to escape Trinity? You should know that your death is inevitable"  
  
Trinity froze. Inevitable?  
  
She suddenly realised why 'Neo's' slightly different wording of things, had sounded so out of place, yet familiar. Why he had suddenly become so harsh and cold. Why he had seemed completely different after his run in with Smith. He wasn't Neo at all. Neo still loved her, he had never betrayed them, it wasn't true!  
  
"Morpheus!" she screamed "It isn't him, it isn't Neo!" Morpheus remained blankly staring, he probably thought she had lost it.  
  
"You aren't Neo" she spat turning to Smith in Neo's body. "I should have guessed it would have been you to do something as sick as this!" 'Neo' stopped in mid-typing. and turned to her, eyes blazing.  
  
Trinity met his glare, with renewed anger. "I know who you are...Sm..." She was cut off, as the plug was jammed into the back of her head.  
  
  
  
The Matrix  
  
  
  
It took Trinity a few seconds to adjust to her new surroundings. She was in a deserted park, fenced off from the rest of the city. If she could move quickly, maybe she and Morpheus could escape before Smith came. But what use would that be anyway? If Bane had had the same thing happen to him as Neo, then Smith could easily pull the plug on them in the ship.  
  
Well she could at least try to convince Morpheus that she wasn't crazy. She turned around to Morpheus, who was staring at the tarmac ground in despair. "Morpheus" she muttered urgently, grabbing his arm. "I know how you feel, but this isn't Neo, he didn't betray us, he would never do that!"  
  
Morpheus sighed "I know that you love him Trinity, but there is not point in denying..."  
  
Trinity yelled in frustration, causing Morpheus to jump. "Listen to me!! It isn't Neo. some thing happened to him after you left the Matrix, and now, some-how, his body is being controlled by..."  
  
"..Me?" questioned Smith, smiling with sardonic amusement.  
  
Morpheus' look of despair vanished, and was replaced by a vicious glare  
  
Smith put his hands in his suit pockets and strode over to the pair, who were giving him incredibly dirty looks.  
  
"What is this Smith?" Trinity spat, fists clenched "Your twisted idea of revenge? Kill Neo and now us?"  
  
Smith's eyes widened in surprise "You think... Mister Anderson is *dead*? Well that is amusing. No, he is quite alive, at the moment..." Trinity gasped in relief "..and I made it possible for him to have witnessed all of your trials and tribulations in, *Finding me out*" he laughed  
  
"You-know, it is *such* a pity that it took you, oh around about; 6 hours and 58 minutes. But I'm sure he wasn't at all offended or upset that you didn't even realise that he was missing, and that you thought he would have been capable of betraying you all so easily."  
  
Oh God. thought Trinity, he's alive. Neo is alive! But he's seen it all, he is going to believe that we thought he could be a traitor, he going to think we never trusted him, that we never cared. And I kissed Smith and didn't know it wasn't him! He could have seen me kissing Smith!  
  
Smith looked to her, his icy stare penetrating her thoughts. "Yes. You have just realised that *I* had to hardly do anything to get my revenge, you hurt him enough on your own."  
  
Suddenly all of Trinity's anger rose up inside her and she leapt at Smith, and catching him by surprise punched him in the jaw, knocking of his glasses. "You sick son of a bitch! tell me where he is!"  
  
Smith managed to push Trinity off, and she rolled across the tarmac. Smith picked up his glasses, put them back on and rubbed his jaw, frowning. She had caught him off guard, he hadn't expected much resistance, he had underestimated her. But he had dealt with many rebels before, and being unarmed and unable to escape, she shouldn't be much trouble.  
  
"I wouldn't worry about Mister Anderson" He growled "you'll be joining him soon enough"  
  
Smith pulled out his gun and aimed at Trinity who was quickly scrambling up from the floor.  
  
Smith felt a heavy blow to the back of his head, and span around, slamming Morpheus, who had hit him, into the thick metal pole of an abandoned swing- set. Morpheus slouched into unconsciousness.  
  
"Well Trinity, I think that you should know that killing *you* is going to be the thing that breaks Anderson" Smith stated, eyes glittering with menace. "That is if he hasn't given up already"  
  
Trinity stared back into Smiths cold, hard blue eyes. She knew she had nowhere to run. That this was it. "Neo would *never* give up" she shouted  
  
Smith clicked the gun off safety, and aimed it at Trinity's head "It seems that you are never going to find out."  
  
  
  
  
  



	12. Return

** Right, this bit is happening at the same time that Smith is putting Morpheus and Trinity into the matrix ok??? (in case you get confused!!)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Source  
  
  
  
Brown was watching the screen with interest. The female Trinity certainly had a lot of loyalty. He looked to Anderson, staring blankly at the floor. It didn't look likely that he was going to find away out after all.  
  
Maybe it was for the best. Brown hated to think of what would happen to him if he was found to have been helping the anomaly, it had once been his job to help eliminate.  
  
But after Anderson had managed to defeat Smith, Himself and Jones had been sent for deletion, considered to be outdated. However at last minute they were called back. It appeared that Agent Smith had gone rouge, and that Jones and Brown may prove useful in capturing him for deletion.  
  
They had been placed in charge of the upgraded Agents; Johnson, Jackson and Thompson, and were in the middle of researching ways to delete Smith and Anderson, when Brown had decided to try and do something very stupid.  
  
Brown and Agent Jones weren't meant to take part in fieldwork any more, but Brown thought that he might, somehow be able to reason with Smith. He was wrong.  
  
Brown looked back to Anderson. Since he had already disobeyed direct orders from the source he would probably be now considered rouge or faulty, so helping Anderson wouldn't exactly cause him much more trouble. It was a pity they were both going to be overwritten. Brown had been looking forward to seeing Smith deleted.  
  
***  
  
Neo had almost given up hope. Trinity was going to be killed by someone who she would think was him, and he couldn't find a way out of this damn place to save her. He was supposed to be the one, why couldn't he manipulate the code in here to escape?  
  
Neo had been avoiding looking at the screen. He couldn't bear to see Trinity die, but then again, if he went first he wouldn't have too, he only had around two minutes left.  
  
"Mr Anderson, I believe that the female rebel knows what is going on" stated Brown  
  
Neo looked up sharply, Trinity and Morpheus had just been loaded into the Matrix. Trinity knew it was Smith. She knew it wasn't him.  
  
His joy was suddenly stopped when he saw Agent Smith pull out a gun and aim at Trinity. He was going to shoot her. Neo couldn't let her die. Not now.  
  
"Well Trinity, I think that you should know that killing *you* is going to be the thing that breaks Anderson, that is if he hasn't given up already"  
  
Neo stood up, fists clenched, and crackling with unseen energy. Brown stepped back a few paces, Mr Anderson seemed very angry.  
  
"Neo would *never* give up"  
  
As soon as the words had escaped Trinity's lips, and Smith had clicked the gun off safety, Neo felt an unbelievable surge of emotion. Smith wouldn't shoot Trinity. Neo wouldn't let him get close.  
  
Neo closed his eyes and knelt forward, one hand on the floor, as his eyes opened, he flew forward and the green code ripped apart, as he tore through it with incredible speed and power.  
  
It snapped closed behind him, leaving a slightly windswept, and impressed Agent Brown.  
  
  
  
The Matrix  
  
  
  
Neo sped through the clouds, spurred on by his desperate need to save Trinity. It was what he had to do, he knew that now, he knew he could save her, he had too, he was so close.  
  
  
  
The Matrix- The park  
  
  
  
Smith had thought Trinity's eyes widening, and the look of shock on her previously calm face was just the inevitability of her death being realised. Until he noticed that she looked...happy? he had never seen a rebel look happy about dieing before.  
  
Then suddenly he was hit in the back at an immeasurable force, he stumbled forward a few paces, and when he looked up, he was Neo not Smith any more.  
  
"Neo!" Trinity yelled in delight, and scrambled up towards him.  
  
She stopped short however, when Neo raised the gun back towards her chest, his dark brown eyes just as cold and hard as Smith's had been.  
  
Morpheus slowly regained conciseness to see Neo pointing Agent Smiths gun at Trinity. What was going on? He quietly got up and crept towards Neo and Trinity.  
  
"Neo?" Trinity questioned, her voice now edged with fear and confusion. Why was he still aiming the gun at her? He *was* Neo wasn't he?  
  
Neo's eye's narrowed, his objective was nearly complete, his finger tensed on the trigger.  
  
He smiled "Hello Trinity. And Goodbye"  
  
"NEO!" Trinity yelled, terrified.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	13. Goodbye

I know that the last chapter was a little confusing, but yes it was Neo (sort of!) and it is explained in this chapter!!!  
  
NOTE: Neo/Smith is Neo overwritten, and //words inside double slashes// represent Neo/Smith thoughts  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Matrix- The park  
  
  
  
Neo blinked and looked around, dazed. Where was he?  
  
"Trinity?"  
  
She looked into his eyes in relief, they were no longer harsh and cold, but innocent and confused. Trinity ran and wrapped her arms around him. Neo held her like he would never let go.  
  
Now he remembered. He had done it. He had gotten back in time to stop Trinity from being shot. Shot... by him?  
  
He staggered back from Trinity, and looked at the gun in his hands. He had nearly shot her. Not Smith, Him. Why had that happened? He would never do that! Unless....  
  
Neo's eyes flashed down to his black wristwatch. '01:29' The only reason that he would have tried to shoot Trinity was if Smiths code was still in him, and that meant that he was still going to be overwritten, in less than 60 seconds. That wasn't enough time, even for him, to do anything to stop it.  
  
"Neo what is it? What's wrong?" Trinity questioned, running her fingers through his hair, and giving him a worried, searching look.  
  
Neo stared back up at her, on the brink of tears, unable to get the words out. He didn't want to leave her; he had just found her again. At least he would be able to say goodbye.  
  
"Trinity" he whispered pressing the gun into her hands "I don't have much time left, but I need you to.." he began quietly  
  
"Neo, you're starting to scare me. What's going on? You're safe now, you're back.," she said smiling, slightly confused.  
  
Morpheus walked over "Neo. Are you saying that, that it's too late?" he said frowning.  
  
"Yes" said Neo softly. "Trinity, I tried, but I came back too late, I'm still going to be overwritten into a copy of Smith" Trinity looked shocked but didn't say anything.  
  
Neo looked towards the gun in her hands. "When it happens, I..I want you, I need you to shoot me." Trinity started to retort but Neo motioned for her to let him finish. "If you don't, I will end up killing both you and Morpheus. I can't let that happen."  
  
Trinity frowned. "Neo, you're stronger than this, you can fight it, I know you can!"  
  
Neo cast his eyes down, "No I can't. I nearly shot you back then. I can't control this Trinity"  
  
Trinity glared back at him. "So what? you're just going to give up? With out even fighting it?"  
  
Neo looked insulted "I didn't say I wasn't going to fight Trinity." he said haughtily "I just need to know that you will kill me if I lose"  
  
Trinity closed her eyes. Would she be able to kill him? could she kill Neo if she was forced to? She looked back up into his gentle chocolate-brown eyes.  
  
"Yes" she said with resolution. If Neo couldn't beat Smith, she would shoot Him. It was what he wanted.  
  
Neo broke into a smile. "Thanks." He pulled out another gun and handed it to Morpheus. "Just, you know, in case.." Morpheus nodded in unspoken agreement.  
  
Trinity looked at Neo for possibly the last time. "You had better damn well promise your going to fight Neo. Or I may have to shoot you now" she said laughing, but it didn't hide the tears threatening to fall.  
  
Neo smiled and just tried to take in everything that was Trinity, Her tall slim body, her sapphire eyes, Her tough attitude, and her secret deeply caring and loving side. He took a deep breath.  
  
"Trin, just always remember that I love you, ok?"  
  
Trinity laughed tearfully, "I love you too Neo" and the pair kissed ravenously.  
  
They were torn apart however, as Neo yelled and fell down to the floor.  
  
***  
  
Trinity jumped back from Neo in shock. Neo felt a stabbing pain in his stomach and doubled over. He screwed up his eyes as the pain spread through his body, in every molecule of his being. He guessed his time was up.  
  
Suddenly it subsided and was replaced by a numb, tingly feeling. Was this his matrix code being overwritten? He felt oddly like falling asleep, just letting go. His consciousness started to slip away.  
  
Then he remembered Trinity's warning, he had to fight it. He gritted his teeth. Every second he tried to hold onto his own code, the searing pain came back  
  
Trinity looked down at Neo in horror. He looked like he was in immense pain, all she wanted to do right now was to hold him, to make it better. But he had to fight this on his own. She couldn't help him.  
  
Neo was trying to hold on, to stay in control, but he wasn't sure how to, or if it was even possible. He could feel his code changing and every time he tried to resist, it felt like it was killing him. If he let go for just a second, he knew that the pain would go away, but he also knew that he would too.  
  
He had to hold on for Trinity. He had too. //He had to kill her// No! he didn't want to do that! //Yes he did. He wanted to kill her, it was what he had to do// 'Oh shit' Neo thought, he couldn't do it, Trinity was going to have to kill him. //Not if he killed her first//  
  
Trinity slowly levelled the gun at Neo. His body was flickering, like a human's before they morphed into an Agent. 'Please Neo' she pleaded silently 'You promised me you would fight'  
  
Neo let out a howl of pain.  
  
He felt much better now. Neo/Smith stood up and straightened his tie, and smiled eerily at Morpheus and Trinity.  
  
Trinity's hands shook slightly as she moved the gun up to Neo/Smith's chest, but her aim remained straight. This looked like Smith, but she knew that it was also Neo. She had to be sure he was completely gone before she even considered shooting him.  
  
"Neo?" Trinity questioned hopefully "Are you still there?"  
  
Neo/Smith raised an eyebrow quizzically, and stated "The human, Mister Anderson has been overwritten. I, am Smith."  
  
  
  
  
  



	14. Identity

NOTE: There is a bit were Neo, and overwritten Neo talk to each other, so remember: Neo/Smith is Neo overwritten, and //words inside double slashes// represent Neo/Smith thoughts. Trinity will occasionally refer to Neo/Smith as Neo, as she isn't sure who he really is. sorry if it gets a little confusing, ask if you aren't sure who is who! And Enjoy!!!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Matrix - The Park  
  
  
  
Morpheus slowly drew his gun. "Neo, you must remember who you are" Trinity pleaded. She wasn't quite as sure she would be able to kill Neo now the moment had come, but she still had her gun ready.  
  
Neo/Smith sighed. "You humans *really* are dull." he said, and reached for his gun. However it was at that moment, being aimed at him by Trinity, and his spare was also missing.  
  
"Looking for this?" Morpheus muttered, swinging the gun around to face Neo/Smith.  
  
"Yes actually" drawled Neo/Smith, looking unimpressed, and punched Morpheus in the face, knocking him to the floor.  
  
Neo/Smith grabbed for the gun but Morpheus rolled away, pulling it out of reach. Neo/Smith snarled and leapt forward, just missing a shot form Trinity's gun. He span around and to face her, looking mildly surprised.  
  
"You do realise that if you kill me, you are technically killing what *was* Mister Anderson." He said smirking, Neo/Smith knew he had the upper hand here. //He was almost certain Trinity wouldn't be able to kill him, which would make killing her a lot easier.//  
  
"I know. Neo asked me too." She said levelly, and started shooting at him.  
  
Neo/Smith's movements blurred as he avoided the bullets, but now Morpheus had started to fire at him from behind, and he had to flip backwards out of the way.  
  
Morpheus stood up and trained his gun on Neo/Smith, as did Trinity. However, Neo/Smith didn't even attempt to move. He just stood there, smiling smugly.  
  
Trinity frowned, what was he planning? Well if he didn't expect them to shoot to kill, he was wrong. She would still keep her promise to Neo, she wouldn't let him down.  
  
Both Morpheus and Trinity let out a barrage of bullets at their former friend. He didn't even flinch. As the bullets sped towards him, he raised his hands and they stopped in mid-air and fell to the floor. Morpheus gasped.  
  
Neo/Smith looked down at the fallen ammunition. "Interesting." He said thoughtfully "Now it's my turn." In one swift movement, Neo/Smith kicked the gun out of Morpheus' hands and punched Trinity in the jaw. He ducked down, avoiding Morpheus' fist and swept up the gun, and rammed it up against Morpheus' temple. Trinity turned wiping blood from her mouth, and froze. Neo had his gun at Morpheus, point blank.  
  
  
  
The Neb  
  
.  
  
Bane/Smith was savouring the moment. He was about to dispose of Morpheus, someone he despised almost as much as the annoying Mister Anderson. At first he didn't notice Links hand creeping towards the keyboard. But when he did, a none too gentle prod with the gun stopped it. He wasn't going to let anything get in his way. Not this time.  
  
  
  
The Matrix - The park  
  
  
  
Trinity couldn't believe it, first Neo, now Morpheus. Was she going to lose everyone she cared about? Morpheus had his eyes closed, how could he look so calm? Trinity knew he had faced death before, but he was about to be killed by the closest thing he had to a best friend. Smith, or Neo, or whoever it was at the moment however, looked like he was enjoying every second of prolonging Morpheus' demise.  
  
If only she could somehow reach him, bring him back. But she didn't know how, or if she even could. "Neo," She began carefully. Neo/Smith just pressed the gun a little harder into Morpheus' head, who tried not to wince. //He was about to kill him, then he would kill Trinity and he would have had his revenge.//  
  
"I don't know if you can hear me, but just remember you said you would fight." she said, slowly raising her gun.  
  
//The only thing He was going to fight right now was her, and he knew who would win. Then she would be dead, as soon as he finished with Morpheus// 'No' a small voice in the back of his mind said. Neo/Smith blinked and ignored it. //That wasn't who he was anymore. He didn't care for these people now. He wanted them dead.//  
  
Trinity saw his moment of hesitation and lunged forward pushing him away from Morpheus and onto the floor. Neo/Smith growled and leapt up, searching form his gun. Trinity dealt him a blow to the stomach, making him grunt in pain.  
  
Then she grabbed his hand. Neo/Smith stared down at the small, delicate hand, gripping his own, with confusion "What are you doing?" he said disgusted. Trinity smiled briefly. "I'm not letting go" she said, before grabbing his arm with her other hand and heavily swinging him into a wall.  
  
***  
  
Neo/Smith smacked into the wall and fell into a crumpled heap at the bottom. //He was angry now, he hadn't expected her to be this much trouble, but it didn't matter, he would just have to kill her first. And what on earth did she mean, she wasn't letting go?//  
  
Neo was beginning to gain consciousness again, she wasn't going to give up on him, he had to fight this. //But was she just playing for time? She didn't believe he could come back, she had already tried to kill him.// Yes she had, she had tried to kill him, but only because.. //She would kill him as well, unless he killed her first.// He couldn't kill her, he loved her. //No he didn't. He *had* loved her. Now he was going to kill her//  
  
Trinity looked down hesitantly at Smith, he was flickering, like Neo had earlier before he had changed. Did that mean Neo was coming back? Had he been able to regain control?  
  
Her hopeful thoughts were interrupted as Neo climbed up from the floor. When she looked at him, she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, as she realised what it would have been like if by some cruel twist of fate, Neo had been an Agent, instead of the One.  
  
Both Morpheus and Trinity watched as Neo straightened his tie. He was wearing a crisp Agent suit, dusted with debris from the wall. Trinity would have thought that it was defiantly Neo, if only his delicate porcelain features hadn't been marred by sinister, steely blue eyes.  
  
"Neo, is it you?" Trinity questioned cautiously  
  
Neo/Smith sneered "You're futile attempts to bring back your friend are beginning to annoy me Trinity. Mister Anderson is gone. As will you, shortly"  
  
Neo/Smith ran towards her, and kicked her, sending her flying into the wall, and then sent a flurry of punches at abdomen, so fast his arms blurred.  
  
Morpheus had only ever seen an Agent use that move. Now he was seeing Neo use it on Trinity. Morpheus started to shoot at him but Neo/Smith span round and launched himself at Morpheus knocking him to the floor, and was scrambling to grab his gun.  
  
Trinity heaved herself up against the wall. She could see Neo fighting Morpheus on the floor with his back to her. Trying to ignore the fact that the person she was shakily aiming at was someone she had loved, that she still loved. Someone she had always tried to protect. She pulled the trigger and closed her eyes.  
  
***  
  
Neo/Smith heard the shot, and tried to swerve away, but he wasn't quite fast enough. The bullet ripped through his suit and hit him in the arm under his left shoulder, a few inches away from his heart. Neo/Smith paused, in shock.  
  
//She had tried to kill him.// She nearly had. if he hadn't moved fast enough he would be dead. She had given up on him. And if Trinity didn't think he could fight this...//..then why should he bother to//  
  
Neo/Smith tore the gun away from Morpheus, and turned to Trinity, eyes narrowed dangerously.  
  
Trinity froze to the spot. Looking into eyes full of determination and menace, she realised that whether this was Smith, or Neo, or both, they weren't going to rest until she was dead. Trinity did something she thought she would never have to do from Neo. She ran like hell.  
  
Time seemed to slow as ducked the first shot, and she saw Morpheus run at Neo and get knocked out cold as the second skimmed past her head.  
  
Trinity didn't see the third shot, but she felt it.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	15. Fight

FINAL CHAPTER!!!! (well, part 1 anyway)  
  
*** FIGHT***   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Trinity didn't see the third shot, but she felt it.  
  
The bullet ripped through her jacket and hit her in the stomach. She stopped running and looked down, shocked, at the blood trickling down the front of her jacket.  
  
She was going to die. She let out a soft "Oh" before her legs buckled and she fell to the floor.  
  
The next thing Trinity saw was Neo, grimly towering over her, gun in hand, eyes dark and resolute. 'God', she thought 'He's going to finish me off. Well, I suppose it's better then leaving me here to bleed to death.'  
  
Neo/Smith was staring down at Trinity. //She was going to die now. He had won.// He smiled with self-satisfaction as he brought the gun up to her head.  
  
"Any last words?" he questioned smugly.  
  
Trinity looked back up at him, unfearfully. Praying that she could find some sign of the real Neo behind his cold, harsh gaze, just so she could say goodbye.  
  
Finally, she sighed, defeated. "Yes, Neo.." She saw his eyes narrow at the name. "Neo, I don't know if I have really lost you, but I don't blame you for this. It's not your fault. I tried to keep my promise, I did, I'm sorry Neo. I love you."  
  
***  
  
Neo/Smith had been sneering at her until that point. Trinity saw him falter at her last words, and his eyes widen  
  
Morpheus blinked and slowly opened his eyes, he looked from Trinity to Neo fearfully. What was going on?  
  
Neo felt like he had just woken up, only he was still in his bad dream. What had happened? He'd shot her. He had shot Trinity, she was going to die, and he had killed her. He opened his mouth wordlessly, what had he done?  
  
//No, he had wanted to do this. She had deserved it. He would finish her off then he could kill..//  
  
Neo started to back away from Trinity. This wasn't him. He didn't want to kill anyone. //Yes he did.// No! he didn't. //But he did, he was supposed to kill...// No! //Yes//  
  
"Neo?" Trinity pleaded  
  
He gripped his head with his hands, trying to get the voices it his head to stop. He felt so confused. He loved Trinity, he had never wanted to kill her... //Yes he had// No, he hadn't //Yes, he had meant to. // No! //Yes!//  
  
"NO!" Neo yelled in desperation, and fell to his knees. He couldn't kill her, he couldn't. //yes he, could and he would// "Shut Up!!" Neo screamed, trying to fight back, to find himself. He had to help Trinity, not kill her. But was it already to late? He slammed his hands on the hard black tarmac, screwed up his eyes and yelled again.  
  
It looked like Neo was fighting, Trinity smiled faintly as she wondered if she would be around to see who won. Much to her amassment, as Neo yelled, she thought she saw a faint image of Smith rise up from him. Maybe she was just hallucinating from blood loss.  
  
Neo let out a deep breath he didn't realise he had been holding, and wavered slightly on the spot. Gone were the thoughts that weren't his, and the irresistible urge to kill Trinity and Morpheus. He was himself again.  
  
His head instantly shot up. Trinity. She needed medical attention, if she wasn't already dead.  
  
Trinity now defiantly thought she was seeing things. It looked like Neo was staring back at her with *his* big, concerned, frightened brown eyes.  
  
"Trinity?" He whispered, on the verge of tears.  
  
Trinity blinked a few times, could he be..? Was this really Neo? Or just another trick? "Neo?" She inquired, unsure.  
  
He gave a weak smile, and stared down at the floor for a few seconds. When he looked back up, his eyes glistened with tears. Eyes she could never mistake for anyone else again. "I'm sorry Trin" he choked "I thought ...I nearly...."  
  
Trinity didn't let him finish, ignoring the pain from her wound, she grasped Neo tightly and protectively into a hug. "It's alright Neo" She soothed  
  
Neo smiled and slipped his arms around her waist. He stopped abruptly however, as his fingers came into contact with the sticky blood seeping through her jacket.  
  
Neo quickly withdrew from the embrace, and stared at the rich crimson substance covering his shaking hands. Trinity's blood. He only realised he was still wearing the Agent suit as he noticed the dark stains on the otherwise immaculate sleeves. Surely there shouldn't be this much blood? It was everywhere. Her blood was all over him. Trinity's blood. She was going to die, and it was all his fault.  
  
"Neo, what's wrong?" Trinity asked, worried.  
  
Neo looked at her, horrified, and back to his bloodied hands, but didn't say a word.  
  
Morpheus moved towards Neo cautiously, he noticed his friends usually pale pallor, was now stark white. He no longer had any doubts that this was truly Neo. But it looked as though he was going into shock.  
  
Morpheus helped Trinity to bandage her injury with his jacket, to slow the blood loss. "Neo are you alright?" he questioned, getting concerned.  
  
Neo continued to stare down at his hands, he didn't seem to have heard Morpheus at all. "Neo. We need to get away from here." Morpheus said, looking to Trinity for help.  
  
Neo heard him, but it didn't matter. There was no way they could get Trinity to a hospital, and a phone wouldn't help. Smith was still on the ship, working through Bane, He could pull the plug on them any second.  
  
It was just like his dream. He'd shot her without a second thought. It was his fault, he knew it. He hadn't fought hard enough, he had given in to Smith much to easily. He should have been able to stay in control. But he had just given up. And now they were all going to die. Because of him.  
  
  
  
The Neb  
  
  
  
Bane/Smith glared at the computer screen in disbelief. Neo had managed to get rid of his virus *and* regain control. He hadn't even managed to kill both Morpheus and Trinity. Trinity was injured, but not dead. That wasn't what he had wanted. He had wanted Neo to kill her. He had wanted revenge.  
  
He turned away from Link and the screen and walked over to where Neo lay, apparently peaceful, in the loading chair, and aimed his gun.  
  
  
  
The Matrix- Park  
  
  
  
Suddenly Morpheus' phone rang. He abandoned his attempts to get through to Neo, and answered it. It was Link. "Morpheus, I haven't got long, but Smith or Bane or whoever, isn't watching me at the moment and I've managed to get you a line out in the old Hotel across from here. You have to move quickly though, I'm reading some Agents coming. And Smith, or Bane, or whoever, I think he's given up on the revenge thing, He's gonna kill Neo."  
  
Morpheus snapped his phone shut and looked back to Trinity, who was still bleeding heavily, and Neo who was now staring blankly at the floor. Morpheus helped Trinity up, and got her to lean over his shoulder, she was starting to slip in and out of consciousness.  
  
"Neo!" Morpheus said sharply.  
  
Neo jumped slightly and slowly lifted his head towards Morpheus. He looked like a lost child.  
  
"Neo, we have to go. Now. Link says Smith is ready to shoot you on the ship." Morpheus said hurriedly. Trinity's eyes widened in shock.  
  
Neo however, gave a short, sharp laugh. Trinity frowned, the sound didn't suit him.  
  
"Do you *really* think Smith killing *me* would be such a terrible thing?" Neo replied bitterly. "I mean, it's *my* fault were all going to die, It's my fault that, that Trinity...." his voice broke as he trailed off.  
  
"Neo it's not your fault! You weren't doing it!" Trinity retorted.  
  
Neo just shook his head. "I should have been able to stop it. I shouldn't have given in so easily. I should have...Trinity. I couldn't protect you, I couldn't save you, I was the one you needed protection from. I shot you."  
  
"Neo we *have* to go!" She replied "Or else Smith is going to shoot you, we don't have much time.."  
  
"It doesn't matter." He muttered, shaking his head. "I failed. There's nothing we can do now, so what's the point."  
  
"Look Neo." Trinity yelled. "I told you that I didn't blame you for this. I know you did everything you could to try and stop it. But if you're just going to, to give up now, to let Smith win, then maybe I was wrong." She finished, breathing heavily.  
  
Neo blinked and stared open-mouthed at her, she still didn't blame him? She wanted him to go back, after what he had done, she wanted him to fight?  
  
She was right.  
  
Closing his eyes and placing his palms on the tarmac, he concentrated, his Agent suit shimmered, and slowly changed into his normal Matrix clothes. He paused a second, to try and quell his internal demons. Then he stood up, his face emotionless, and calmly put on his dark sunglasses.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
  
  
The Matrix- Hotel  
  
  
  
Trinity leant onto Morpheus and Neo as the trio moved as fast as possible to the derelict redbrick hotel. Neo knew that he might not have much time, but Trinity had given him the determination he had needed. He knew he may not win against Smith now, but he was still going to try. He at least hoped the Trinity and Morpheus would get back safely.  
  
Halfway up the large dust covered staircase the three, heard a distinct ringing from the room in front of them. Neo and Morpheus shared a look and Morpheus gently eased Trinity onto the banister, and bolted into the room.  
  
Both pairs of eyes watched anxitiously from the stairs. "let's hope Smith brags as much as he usually does, for my sake." Said Neo. Trinity laughed nervously  
  
  
  
The Neb  
  
  
  
Bane/Smith was facing Neo's silent form, his eyes glinting madly. "So you think you won, did you Mister Anderson?" Bane/Smith accused  
  
"You think you're so safe in the Matrix, with your powers. But here, Mister Anderson. Here, you are only human. You can die." Bane/Smith said smiling maliciously, as his finger started to press down on the trigger "I'd like to see you dodge this bullet."  
  
Link jumped at the shot, and thud that then followed.  
  
***  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Sorry I had to split it up into two parts guys, but it seemed a good place to cut it!! 


	16. End

FINAL CHAPTER !!!! (really this time!!)  
  
*** END***  
  
Hmmmm, Is Neo going to be killed by Smith?? Is Trinity going to last out? are there going to be any mystery returns of characters?? read on to find out.......and ENJOY!!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Neb  
  
  
  
Bane/Smith was facing Neo's silent form, his eyes glinting madly. "So you think you won, did you Mister Anderson?" Bane/Smith accused  
  
"You think you're so safe in the Matrix, with your powers. But here, Mister Anderson. Here, you are only human. You can die." Bane/Smith said smiling maliciously, as his finger started to press down on the trigger "I'd like to see you dodge this bullet."  
  
Link jumped at the shot, and thud that then followed.  
  
***  
  
Morpheus was grinning triumphantly down at Bane/Smith. Still holding the gun that Neo/Smith had used previously to force them to load into the Matrix. "I told Neo once, that he wouldn't need to."  
  
  
  
The Matrix- The Hotel  
  
  
  
Neo carefully lent Trinity against the flaking paint covered wall, and brushed her hair from her face. She smiled weakly. Neo knew she had to get back to the ship as soon as possible, she was still losing blood rapidly and Morpheus' make-shift bandage had already been soaked through with blood.  
  
"I'm guessing Morpheus got back in time, considering you haven't dropped dead on me yet" Trinity said with a smile.  
  
Neo laughed shortly. "Yeah."  
  
Trinity started to laugh as well, but winced and stopped to hold her side. She was feeling rather light headed  
  
"It shouldn't be long now Trin, hold on ok?" Said Neo, with concern  
  
on que, the phone started to ring. Neo picked it up, and offered it to Trinity.  
  
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you *sure* you don't want to go first? You have a tendency to get into trouble when ever we leave you here." she said grinning.  
  
Neo rolled his eyes. "If that wasn't so true, I would probably find it more amusing. Now come on, you're injured, you need to get to the med-bay" he insisted, pushing the phone into her hands.  
  
Trinity relented, and disappeared into a swirl of code.  
  
Neo replaced the phone, but didn't pick it back up. He looked angry for a second, and considered leaving there and then. But he couldn't. This time he wouldn't run. This time he would fight. Neo sighed and turned around.  
  
"What do you want Smith?" He said coldly.  
  
***  
  
Smith smiled coolly at him from the doorway, his imposing siluette framed by shards of light from the tall window at the end of the hallway.  
  
"What do I want Mister Anderson? Well I *had* wanted to have you kill all of your friends and delete you, but as you remember you *are* annoyingly hard to kill, and annoyingly stubborn."  
  
Neo smiled briefly "Reminds me of someone else I know."  
  
The Rivals watched each other warily, in a thick silence. Each dark figure mirrored in the others glasses.  
  
Smith broke the silence. "Before I kill you Mister Anderson, I thought I should reminded you that you gave up incredibly easily to overwriting, even *Brown* fought for longer than *You*" He said smugly  
  
Neo's face darkened. "Yes. Well I like Brown, he realised what an asshole you are, even when you were still an Agent." He replied with a smirk  
  
Smiths lip twitched.  
  
"But did any of your other replicas manage to come back, and regain control in less than an hour? Maybe your programming isn't quite up to scratch Smith."  
  
Smith's eyes narrowed. "Well, Mister Anderson. Be that as it may, I think that you will realise that you can't always protect your friends as....*well* as *you* did today. You can't get rid of me, and they will end up coming back to the Matrix again sometime."  
  
Neo glared back at him.  
  
Smith folded his hand behind his back, and slowly walked towards Neo. "And when they do come back, I *will* kill them. As for *you*, you, I will kill now." He concluded  
  
Neo raised his fists, preparing for the inevitable fight. Smith however, just stood still and smiled and him, the emotion in his eyes hidden behind Neo's own reflection.  
  
The doors in the hallway behind him flew open, and Smiths replicas casually entered, and closed in on Neo.  
  
"I thought you would have learnt something from being me Mister Anderson, I always win." He drawled with a hint of pride.  
  
Neo tried to hide his shock. He hadn't expected so many replicas here so fast. Maybe he *should* have learnt something from being Smith. Suddenly he had a spark of inspiration, and dropped his fists.  
  
Smith looked puzzled. "You are just going to give up like *that* Mister Anderson? I would have at least expected a good fight between nemesis, out of common decency."  
  
Neo was now grinning openly, which made Smith even more confused.  
  
"Actually I *did* learn something from being you Smith." Neo said confidently, striding right up to Smith.  
  
Smith stopped smiling. He didn't like the sound of this. Neo paused a foot in front of Smiths face, and took off his glasses.  
  
"I learnt how to destroy you."  
  
Smith was about to come up with a witty retort, when he saw the glint of triumph in Neo's eyes, before he closed them and held his palms outwards.  
  
Smith and his replicas shared a silent glance, before attempting to run out of the building as fast as possible.  
  
Neo tilted his head forward, and concentrated. An invisible wave of code erupted from his palms, slowly spreading outwards. As it hit the replicas, they turned back into the original people. A teenaged boy, an old lady and a man in a suit collapsed on the floor, followed shortly by many others.  
  
The last, real, Smith shot Neo a venomous glare before adjusting his tie, and jumping headlong through the window at the end of the hallway.  
  
Neo brought his hands back down, and teetered slightly. He had done it. He had beaten Smith. He had won. Pity the other Agents were coming now. He smiled to himself and collapsed onto the floor with exhaustion.  
  
  
  
The Neb  
  
  
  
Morpheus had just finished bandaging Trinity it the medical bay when he heard Link curse.  
  
Trinity limped into the computer room with him "Link, what's going on?" He asked.  
  
Link laughed nervously under Morpheus and Trinity's worried glances. "Heh, well you know how Smith likes to turn up, when Neo is on his own in the Matrix?"  
  
Morpheus' face darkened.  
  
Trinity moved as quickly as possible to Neo's side, checking his vitals. "What happened? Did Smith....?"  
  
Link cut her off, "Smith turned up, yes. But the surprising thing is, that Neo somehow managed to get rid of him, or his replicas anyway. But he must have used a hell of a lot of power to do it, and I think it completely drained him, he just passed out."  
  
Morpheus frowned at the computer. This is *not* good, Agents are less than a mile away, and if Neo's out cold...."  
  
"Oh Shit!" gasped Link. "There's one in there now!"  
  
  
  
The Matrix  
  
  
  
the phone was ringing, but Neo didn't answer it.  
  
Agent Brown got up from the floor and straightened out his suit. He had to admit he was slightly surprised, he hadn't expected Anderson to keep his promise, but he had. That was unusual for a human, but then *Anderson* was unusual for a human.  
  
Brown sighed. It was a pity he would have to kill him now. He pulled out his Desert Eagle and walked over to where the Anomaly lay.  
  
The phone was still ringing, less than a few feet away from him. So close, yet so far. Brown paused. Anderson had stayed to try and destroy Smith, he could have just left, and gone back to his ship.  
  
Brown lowered his gun for a second. It didn't seem quite right. Even though it would go against all of his programming, he had a strange desire not to kill Anderson, but to help him. After all it would only be fair, after Anderson had saves his....well, not so much life, but his existence.  
  
However if he did consciously let him escape, or even aid his escape, the Mainframe would find out eventually, consider him flawed, and send him for deletion.  
  
For probably the only time ever, Brown felt he could relate to Smith. His emotions were clouding his judgement. He should have been able to kill Anderson without a second thought, instead he was feeling pity, guilt, confusion. Maybe his programming *was* faulty  
  
Brown sighed. Maybe it was because he was unconscious. Humans when like this, looked so....helpless? If he had had to fight Anderson, man to man, or man to program rather, it would have been easier. But he couldn't do it, not like this.  
  
He picked up the phone and brought it level with Neo's head. Brown shook him slightly. Neo's eyes slowly blinked open as the receiver was pushed towards him. Was that Brown? Why was he helping him? he thought blurrily.  
  
"We are now, as you humans say, *even* Mr Anderson" said Brown with a trace of a smile.  
  
"Thank you" Neo said, gratefully, yet slightly confused, as he disappeared.  
  
  
  
The Neb  
  
  
  
Neo's eyes opened and looked sleepily towards Trinity just above him, leaning on his chest. "Hey Trin" he said quietly  
  
"Welcome back" she said softly, before kissing him.  
  
The two, pulled together passionately, as if trying to make the moment eternal. They finally broke the kiss, slightly breathless.  
  
"We're safe now right?" Neo questioned.  
  
Trinity laughed "Well, safer that we normally are"  
  
"Good enough for me" Neo said with a smile before fell back into a deep, almost coma-like sleep.  
  
  
  
The Matrix- The Hotel  
  
  
  
Brown had just replaced the phone, when he heard purposeful, orderly, footsteps entering the room. He span around and froze, making his face emotionless.  
  
"What were you doing?" The taller Agent asked. It was Jones  
  
it didn't seem all that long ago, it had been Brown asking that question to Smith. He replaced his earpiece, calmly. "Why are you here?" Brown demanded, ignoring the question.  
  
"The Mainframe, traced your signal here. I was given orders to detain you. You have been helping the rebel Anderson."  
  
Brown tried to search Jones' face, for any signs of how much he knew, unsuccessfully. Even if they just what happened at the Source, it was still going to be bad news.  
  
"I was merely cooperating with him in order to delete rouge Agent, Smith." he stated.  
  
Jones' eye narrowed. Brown knew he didn't believe him. "You are to report to the Mainframe for a program analysis. If you are believed to be.....flawed...as was Agent Smith, you will be deleted."  
  
Brown looked grim. "I will cooperate."  
  
Suddenly Jones did something Brown hadn't expected. He removed his ear- piece. Brown did the same. "I saw what you did. You will not assist the rebel Anderson again Brown, you will follow orders to delete him, or *you* will be deleted." he said sharply  
  
Brown nodded, frowning. Jones had seen him send Anderson back, but why wasn't he informing the mainframe?  
  
Jones took off his glasses. "Brown, I understand *why* you did what you did. But if they realise that we have developed emotions past our programming, like Smith did, they will deem us a danger to the system, and delete us. We *have* to be careful." he said, concerned.  
  
Brown hadn't realised that Jones had been experiencing advanced emotions as well. "I understand" he stated, slightly shocked. Then as they both replaced their earpieces, Jones heard Brown quietly say "Thank you"  
  
  
  
The Neb- Medical Bay  
  
  
  
Neo had woken up and was sat up on his bed, staring into space. Trinity walked in.  
  
"You should really be asleep Neo, you've a, a rather, well I'm not sure that rough really sums it up, but you've had a rough day." She said smiling at him.  
  
"Yeah, I suppose" Neo muttered "I've just been.....thinking."  
  
"Are you sure that you're alright Neo?" Trinity questioned seriously, and sat down on the edge of his bed.  
  
Neo looked down at the bed sheets. The unconscious state he had been in was a welcome release from his own thoughts, but now he was awake, his mind felt a mess.  
  
A lot had happened that had caused him to re-think things, Agent Brown and Smith for a start. Brown had helped him get back to the real world, when technically he should have killed him, why had he done that? He supposed that now they were, 'Even' that next time he met Brown he wouldn't be so helpful.  
  
More importantly however, there was Smith. He had been able to free Smiths replicas, but he wasn't sure how, or if he would be able to do it again. Also he wasn't any clearer on how to get rid of the original Smith. Killing Smith last time, had only made him worse.  
  
Another thing was what Smith had said had been bothering him. Smith was right. there was going to be a time when the crew would go back into the Matrix and Smith would be there, ready to kill them. Neo knew Smith may not be able to kill him, but he could defiantly harm Morpheus and Trinity. He couldn't let Trinity get hurt again. He wouldn't be able to bear it, she had almost died once tonight.  
  
Neo turned back to Trinity's concerned gaze, unable to articulate his thoughts.  
  
He sighed. "Trin, when I met Smith again, he said...he said that one day when we go into the Matrix he is going to be there, waiting for us. I know he will be, and I'm just worried, that, that I won't be able to protect you." He said shaking his head in exasperation.  
  
Trinity felt overwhelmed. After all that had happened to *him*, he was losing sleep over worrying about *her*!  
  
She took his hand reassuringly, and swept back his tousled black hair to look him in the eye.  
  
"Neo. It doesn't matter if you can't protect me all of the time, I don't expect that from you. *You* are everything I need Neo."  
  
"We are always going to be in danger, we are always going to have to risk our lives. Its always going to be one of us with our life in the balance, and the chances are, that one time we *aren't* going to be able to save each other. But as long as we have each other, it doesn't matter what we have to face. I love you Neo"  
  
Neo smiled and looked at her, squeezing her hand affectionately. And expressing his feelings with the only words he could. "I love you too Trin"  
  
  
  
The Matrix- The park  
  
  
  
Smith darkly regarded his two previous colleagues leaving the hotel.  
  
He clenched his teeth. His plans had been ruined. Somehow Anderson had managed to remove his virus programme from his replicas, it was annoying, but not fatal. He could always make more, and Anderson wouldn't be able to stop them all. However he had still been beaten, and Smith didn't like to lose.  
  
This didn't matter anyway. It was just a minor setback. Smith knew that he had caused Neo some mental torment at the least. And in the meantime he could continue to experiment with upgrading his programming. If it had been possible for him to overwrite Mister Anderson, then there must be a way for him to kill him, and he would find it.  
  
Smith smiled. The mere thought alone of watching Anderson die at his hands, and not come back, was enough to make Smith forget *this* insignificant defeat. Anderson had managed to win this battle, but the war was only just beginning.  
  
Smith straightened his tie and turned to walk away, smirking.  
  
"This isn't the end Mister Anderson. We will meet again." he stated smugly.  
  
The rusty swings creaked in the digital breeze as Smith disappeared into the copper sunrise.  
  
"And when we do, you shall not be so lucky."  
  
*FIN*  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
TA-DA!!!! all done, Finally!!! I didn't realise that my first Matrix fan- fic would be so damn long!!!  
  
Thank you to everyone who reviewed for all your support!! You People ROCK!!  
  
I can't believe I managed to get through the whole thing without anyone actually getting killed!! Mind you, it came close a few times, but in the end I just didn't have the heart to do it, I love Neo too much to Kill off him or his buddies!!!!  
  
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it!! I haven't really got any plans for a sequel or anything at the moment, but it was pretty much an open ending anyway, in the true spirit of excessive cliffhangers!!! he  
  
So Thank you all again!! and BYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
****************P.S. REVIEW!!!!*******************  
  
Love Beth 


	17. NOTE

**AUTHORS NOTE  
  
Hello! This is just a little note to let you all know that I have finally got word again, and have been able to spell check the whole story, I didn't realise I had made so many typos!!!  
  
I've also re-done chapters one and two as some how I managed to write them in three different tenses!?! But, anyway it should all be a lot easier to read now, as I also got rid of a lot of the author's notes. (well apart from this one anyway)  
  
Also I have finally decided, that I am going to write a sequel, which will probably be called Wonderland, but it won't be put up for a few weeks yet as has a slightly more complicated plot. Any suggestions or ideas for what you would like to read in it send to me at madmiffy6@hotmail.com  
  
Oh yeah, and vote for your favourite Matrix fanfiction, at The Golden Spoon awards at www.thespoons.org !!!  
  
Thank you,  
  
Beth. 


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